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Everything She Wants
|5 March 1985 }} | Format = | Recorded = 1984 | Genre = }} | Length = |5:30 |6:29 }} | Writer = George Michael | Label = CBS | Producer = George Michael | Last single = "Last Christmas" (1984) | This single = "Everything She Wants" (1984) | Next single = "I'm Your Man" (1985) | Misc = }} "Everything She Wants" is a million-selling Gold-certified hit single by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in 1984 on Columbia Records on a double A-side with "Last Christmas". It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, becoming their third consecutive million-selling number one hit in the United States. History Upon release, "Last Christmas" took the majority of the attention and airplay as it was appropriate in early December as Christmas approached. However, the presence of an equally-billed flip side meant that radio stations had something else to play once "Last Christmas" had lost its topicality. A five-minute song (there also exists a six-and-a-half-minute-long version with an added bridge), "Everything She Wants" is written from the angle of a man being disillusioned by the material demands of his partner, despite the amount of work he does to keep her happy. In a twist, the second verse takes the story a step further by revealing that the woman is pregnant but the man cannot find any happiness in the announcement because "if my best isn't good enough, then how can it be good enough for two?" The presence of the Band Aid project meant that the double A-side peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, although in the process it became the biggest-selling record not to get to number one. However, in the USA, the song did reach the summit of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and became the third number-one song in a row from 1984's Make It Big album. Wham! would go on to have two more number-one hits in the UK before splitting at their height in 1986. Although Michael bemoaned much of Wham!'s material as he began his solo career, "Everything She Wants" remained a song of which he was proud, and he continued to perform it in his shows. Furthermore, Michael remarked in an interview (to promote 25 Live tour) that "Everything She Wants" is his favourite Wham! song. In 1996, the song was performed at the MTV Unplugged concert. In 1997, the song was remixed and re-released as "Everything She Wants '97" for the greatest hits album The Best of Wham!: If You Were There.... "Everything She Wants" was used as a sample on Foxy Brown's "I Can't" from her sophomore album, Chyna Doll, in 1999. The a cappella group Naturally 7 sampled "Everything She Wants" on their 2011 song "Life Goes On", an arrangement that was personally approved by Michael. The song features in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V as part of the radio station Non Stop Pop FM. Court case The song was also mentioned in a landmark 1998 sampling copyright decision in the case of Santrayll v. Burrell.Santrayll v. Burrell, No. 91 Civ. 3166, 1998 US Dist. LEXIS 586. Federal Court Judge Peter K. Leisure concluded that MC Hammer had sampled music by another rap group (The Legend). The Legend admitted to sampling Wham!'s "Everything She Wants" (among other songs) and not disclosing the sampled works when filing for copyright registration. Music video The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan, and is footage of a live performance in black and white. Track listing * Also released in a limited edition with a 1985 calendar (WQTA 4949) *Note: Track 1 plays 7" remix but is labelled only as "Remix" Charts and certifications Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications and sales References External links * Category:1984 songs Category:1984 singles Category:1985 singles Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:CBS Records singles Category:Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Songs written by George Michael Category:Wham! songs